Rok’s great journey a science fiction stories for kids

A little cosmic tale for earthbound children

The alien Rok was fed up with living on Súlex, a barren and silent planet lost in the universe. Every day was the same as the one before and I couldn’t take it anymore.

• Since we are few and there is nothing interesting to do, I get bored more than a pumice stone.

He had just turned three hundred years old and since his life expectancy was millennia, he still saw himself as a young guy with a lot of desire to enjoy and fulfill some pending wishes.

• I think getting out of the routine and getting to know new places will be very good for me. The time has come to indulge myself and embark on an adventure!

Said and done! To celebrate such a round figure, he decided to throw the house out the window and treat himself to a space trip. If he wanted something madly, it was to see the world, or rather, other worlds.

On the planet Súlex there were no seasons of the year or anything like that, but its inhabitants knew that when the dawn light was orange, the perfect conditions were given to fly through space. For that reason, Rok awaited the arrival of a salmon-colored morning to fully charge the battery of his latest model ship and go out to investigate beyond known limits.

• At last I am going to make the sidereal journey that I have dreamed of so many times. What a thrill!

Aliens do not need an astronaut suit to fly, much less a helmet that squashes their delicate green antennae, so Rok only had to put on special glasses to be able to see clearly and fly safely through all the cosmic dust.

• I’m ready to go. Goodbye, planet Súlex!

He got into his modern flying saucer, closed the hatch, sat down at the complicated dashboard, and pressed a square button that sent him into orbit in no time.

• Three… Two… One… Take off!

Rok was excited! Navigating the galaxy at supersonic speed was not something you could do every day; But he also had another great motivation: he wanted to be the first of his kind to reach the solar system.

After many hours plowing through space, black as a wolf’s mouth, he succeeded.

• Bravo Bravo! The road has been long, but there is nothing impossible when one puts illusion in the goal. Anyway, let’s see what is in these places so far from my civilization.

Rok walked past the major planets and saw that they were less than ten. After a while carefully observing them, he had to admit that he was disappointed, for except for one that had a huge ring around it, they all looked more or less the same.

• Wow, not what I expected! I see a red planet full of dunes, another covered with craters, that little one where it must be terribly cold … Oddly enough, none is better than mine!

There, in the middle of the darkness only dotted by the glare of some distant star, he began to consider turning around.

• Nothing here, nothing there … If I find out, I won’t move from home. I don’t even see a liquid hydrogen station to refuel!

Rok realized that his interstellar journey was about to end.

• There is no use fooling oneself, this is what it is. I’ll be back home before I run out of fuel.

He was about to turn the controls when suddenly, to the far right, he spotted a huge sphere that stood out from the rest.

• But what is that?!

To make sure it wasn’t an optical effect, he squinted his big bulging eyes.

• I would say that it is a planet, but a very rare planet because it has more colors than the rest of its neighbors.

He was so intrigued that he stepped on the gas and got closer to get a better look. As half was in the dark, he placed himself in front of the sunlit area, at a suitable distance to be able to make a good assessment.

• Wow, how interesting! I distinguish almost desert mountainous areas, but also large green areas covering the surface. And those blue expanses … are they oceans?

Rok was absolutely fascinated.

• Although it is risky, if I do not go down to explore I will regret it for life.

He chose a point at random and began the descent maneuver. As soon as he landed, he turned off the engine, took off his goggles, opened the hatch, and before leaving he stuck his head out to see if the area was dangerous.

• My antennas detect neither strange signals nor the presence of possible enemies. Let’s go there!

Rok jumped out of the ship and was amazed to find that under a blue sky dotted with clouds like shreds of cotton, stretched a wonderful and exotic tropical beach. He had just arrived on planet Earth.

• Oh mother!… This is truly a paradise!

For a few minutes he could not even move, overwhelmed as he was by so much beauty. When he could react, he left the ship behind and began to take short steps in the direction of the sea. You can’t imagine the pleasure it gave him to walk on the white sand warmed by the sun and breathe fresh air with the scent of salt!

• What a joy! It is the most beautiful place I have seen in three centuries of life.

He was happy and excited when, suddenly, he began to feel terrible.

• Whoops, wow, I think I’m going to pass out! I imagine it is because I have not eaten anything for many hours.

Unlike on Earth, where nature reigns, in Súlex there are no living beings, animals or plants, and that is why its only inhabitants, the extraterrestrials, feed on synthetic products that they themselves manufacture with remains of space junk. It was urgent for the hungry Rok to find some industrial piece to put into his mouth.

• Something has to be used to activate my circuits … With a couple of screws or a piece of aluminum foil I am satisfied!

He entered the forest area and saw thickets full of blackberries, blueberries and raspberries, but of course, that was not food for him. Fishing was not within their options either because, unlike for humans, fish could be harmful to their body.

• I need to recharge or my internal electrical system will shut down forever.

He almost crawled back to the beach, and the poor man wanted to cry very much.

• I should have brought a sack of waste to last at least a week. How could I have been so foolish? If I can’t find something before dark, I’ll start to smoke from my ears and shut myself down hopelessly.

Suddenly, a wave crashed against the shore and threw an old plastic bottle at his feet.

• What do my eyes see ?! But if it is food … and good food!

He picked up the container before the sea returned it to the depths and began to salivate.

• How lucky I am! What a delicacy!

Rok tipped his head back, popped the bottle into his mouth, crushed it with his powerful alien jaws, and swallowed it.

• Oh yeah, it was delicious!

The alien noticed how the current was reactivated inside its connecting cables.

• Thanks to this appetizer I feel a little better. I’m going to see if there are more.

Rok stepped into the sea and saw that the bottom was littered with empty detergent bottles, rusted cans, shards of glass, and many other polluting items that unscrupulous humans had thrown into the water. These wastes, coming from supposedly civilized places via ocean currents, were for Rok real ‘gourmet’ foods.

• These plastics, tires and brass objects are worthy of a luxurious feast. Determined: I will stay on this planet forever!

Since that distant day, the small and curious alien Rok has lived among us, and although he does not know it because no one has told him, every time he eats he is doing a great favor to the environment. In fact, there are those who suspect that, thanks to that ‘maintenance work’, the little corner where they live is one of the cleanest and most beautiful that exist on our beloved planet Earth.

Ah! What do you want to know what it is? I’m sorry to tell you that I don’t know, but I suggest that if you ever have the opportunity to visit a lonely beach, the kind that looks like a movie, take a good look at its waters when you go swimming. If they are crystal clear and have almost no waste, look around you for any green aliens napping in the sun.